THE YOUNG KITTENS

Many people have a shock when seeing the first litters of their pedigree cats, thinking that they have mongrels instead. Blue Persian kittens and many of the other self-coloured long-haired breeds have definite tabby markings as tabby is the cats genetic base.
In fact it is said the more defined the markings, the better the kitten will be. These fade as the kitten grows its long coat. Black Persian kittens are brownish in colour, and here again, the most brownish kittens will probably be the best Blacks when older. Chinchillas are quite dark, while Siamese kittens are white.
If the queen has no objection to the kittens being handled, they can be sexed when a day old, as it is easier to distinguish the sexual organs before the fur starts growing.
Beneath the tail of the male kitten will be found the entrance to the anus, which is circular. About three-eighths to half-an-inch nearer the stomach, rudimentary testicles, which are ‘bunchy’ in appearance, may be seen. In the female kitten the anus is in the same position as in that of the male, but quite close to it the vagina will appear as a small slit. There is no ‘bunchiness’ in the female.
If there are both sexes in the litter, the task is infinitely easier, as a male and female may be examined side by side, when the differences may be quite clearly seen. Once the coat begins to grow, it becomes much more difficult to tell, especially with the long-haired breeds, and even the most experienced of breeders may make an occasional error, but it is true to say that the more newly-born the kittens the easier it becomes to tell the sex.

Most queens can manage to feed up to four or five kittens successfully and some even more. If it is found that the mother has no milk, it may be possible to find a foster mother, otherwise the hand-rearing of the kittens may have to be undertaken. This is by no means an easy task for one to take on lightly. It means feeding every two hours throughout the day and night for the next three weeks. This can be done by hand feeding according to the formula on the tin, using droppers and small syringes. It must be remembered that if the queen has lost interest in the kittens, they must be cleaned very gently all over. A piece of slightly dampened rough towelling will replace the mother’s tongue.
After about ten to twelve days the kitten’s eyes will start to open. If after that time the lids are still tightly shut and there appears to be a slight stickiness and swelling, they should be bathed very gently with a small piece of cotton wool soaked in warm boracic water, and the lids lightly smeared with a little Vaseline. If this proves inadequate after a day or so, the vet will supply you with a little penicillin or aureomycin ointment which should speedily clear up any trouble. The kittens should not be kept in any strong light until the eyes are well opened.
When about three weeks old, the kittens will start struggling to get out of the box and will be staggering all over the floor. A small, easily accessible sanitary tray should be provided for them and the mother will start house-training them.
Weaning may be started at this age. Any of the proprietary baby milk foods, goat’s mild, cow’s milk boiled with a little glucose, and some lime water added to help bone-formation, can be given; a little fluid magnesia may be added to prevent digestive troubles. Some kittens will lap right away, while with others patience will be needed. A drop on the kitten’s lips for the first day or two will enable him to get to know the taste. Within a few days most kittens will have learned to lap from a spoon and the milk should then be offered in a small saucer. One small teaspoonful should be given for the first week. A second milk feed may be introduced the next week, and the kitten tried with a little scraped raw beef. Baby food cereals may be introduced gradually. The first solids should include cooked white fish, scraped raw beef, mashed cooked rabbit, cornflakes, raw or scrambled eggs. The kitten’s stomach is very small, and over-feeding must be avoided during weaning, as it must be remembered that the kitten will still be suckling from its mother. By the age of eight weeks, the weaning should be completed and the kitten receiving four small meals a day.
The kittens may be sold from about eight weeks onwards, and the new owner will probably require a pedigree. Pedigree forms may be obtained from the various specialist clubs. If it is proposed to go in for breeding seriously, it is a swell to choose a cattery name and register it with the Governing Council. A suitable prefix may be chosen, and application made to the secretary for registering it. If it is not being used by any one else and is considered suitable, permission will be granted by the Governing Council and the prefix reserved for the sole use of that particular breeder. It will appear on the pedigrees and registration forms of kittens of his breeding only. Kittens may be registered on the payment of a small fee per kitten, and when they are sold the registration may be transferred to the new owner for a similar sum.

See Also: Buying a kitten, Feeding Kittens